Two missing after landslide in Dariali (VIDEO)
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Two people are missing after a landslide struck in northern Georgia.
Heavy rain was believed to be the cause of the landslide, which struck yesterday in Devdoraki Gorge, near Kazbegi and the Russian border.
The Governor of Kazbegi, Givi Kirakashvili, said a Georgian citizen and a Turkish citizen, both employees at the Dariali Hydro Power Plant (HPP) remained missing.
Yesterday’s landslide occurred near the fatal landslide, which struck Dariali Gorge on May 17. That disaster claimed the lives of five people.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure David Shavliashvili, his first deputy George Amashukeli and the chairman of the Department of Roads Vazha Fanchulidze visited the disaster zone.
A stream had collapsed and blocked the road. As a result all vehicles are prohibited from travelling along the affected section of the Mtskheta-Lars-Kazbegi road. Intensive work to clean the road has begun.
In a statement, the Minister said due to bad visibility in the area, it had been impossible to determine how much landslide mass has collapsed.
"According to latest data, there is no danger of flooding in Tergi river because the river has found the temporarily riverbed, which was created by the Roads Department of Georgia after the disaster in May.”
Devdoraki Gorge. Photo by Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure.
Employees at the Lars Customs Service on the Georgia-Russia border and people crossing the border have been sheltered at the Monastery in Dariali Valley. Governor Kirikashvili noted these people would be transported to Kazbegi today.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili made a special statement regarding the disaster and noted it was extremely unfortunate two people had disappeared while working to clean a tunnel.
"Fortunately, the alarm system installed during the previous disaster had worked, enabling timely evacuation of the people. According to my assignment, Government members visited the site last night. There are four ministers; Chikaidze [Minister of Internal Affairs], Khorkishvili [Minister of Environment], Shavliashvili [Minister of Regional Development] and Khaduri [Minister of Finance] there. A special group of staff has been established and work to remedy the disaster has begun," the Prime Minister said.
He said 24-hour activities had been implemented and the scale of the loss will be defined soon.
The Prime Minister was unable to visit the disaster zone, as he was scheduled to pay an official visit to Armenia, but said he would keep in regular contact with the crisis management staff and be kept up to date with latest information about activities at the Gorge.
Devdoraki Gorge. Photo by Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure
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